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  He nodded. "I never saw you and my dog was hit by a car."

  "Good," I said, shoving him away from me. "Leave my sight."

  He took one more look at me, picked up his dog and then ran off. I was about to start running myself when I heard laughing. I turned toward the forest and saw Danny watching me, nearly doubled over in laughter.

  I folded my arms. "Enjoying yourself?"

  Standing up, he said, "Immensely. Looks like that human boy is making you weak. Who would have thought you would ever let a human go? That's not like the Samantha that everyone knows and fears."

  "Shut it."

  He took a deep breath. "It smells like you really like that school boy too. You'd best find someone to snack on to get rid of that scent. Vince isn't going like that."

  "I said shut it, Danny. What's it going to take to keep you quiet about this?"

  "Forget about that indiscretion that you've been hanging over my head for the last decade."

  He had killed one of Vince's relatives and I'd been using it to get anything I needed from him ever since.

  I thought about it. "Deal. I was getting bored with that anyway," I lied.

  "Finally," he said, looking relieved. "Vince was afraid that you didn't get his message so he sent me to make sure that you go it."

  "You can see that I got it. I'm on my way back."

  "Want some company?"

  "Not if you're referring to yourself. You can run along ahead and report that I'll be meeting Vince for dinner as requested."

  He smirked and then ran off without a word. Next time I would have to remember to text Vince back so that I wouldn't have to deal with one of his annoying sidekicks.

  I took my time getting back, managing to find someone to feed on without feeling guilty. I drank just enough to cover Tanner's scent and then made her forget about our encounter. When I did finally arrive at Vince's mansion, I didn't spend all that much time getting ready. Usually I went all out getting ready to see Vince, but I just didn't have it in me. My mind was back in Delphic Cove with Tanner.

  When I got to Vince's room, he opened the door before I could knock. He looked me over as though I looked as good as usual. "You're a sight for sore eyes, as always. I like the toned down look. You have a natural beauty that you don't let anyone see often enough."

  I leaned against the doorway. "So did you have fun sending your spies?"

  "Spies? I only sent Danny a few times."

  A few times? He must have avoided my detection at least once. Anyone who was smart feared me as much as they feared Vince.

  "Are you ready for dinner? I had the staff cook your favorite."

  I raised an eyebrow. I didn't think that he even knew what my favorite was.

  Vince laughed. "Don't worry—we didn't cook up the human boy. It's that Italian dish that you like so much."

  "That sounds nice," I said, careful not to react when he brought up Tanner.

  He held out his arm and I linked mine through his and we walked to his favorite dining room where the long table was set for two. He held the chair out for me and I sat. He sat next to me and smiled, but it wasn't a sweet, innocent smile like Tanner. "I've missed you, Samantha. The place just isn't the same without your beauty or your fire. I didn't expect your mission to take so long. I'm not used to going months without seeing you."

  "Yeah, well, it is taking a long time. That girl is as boring as paint and finding a guy who will pay attention to her is no small task. Nor is finding one who is open enough to actually believe in vampires."

  "It sounds like you've found one who believes," he said, resting his chin in his palm.

  "One in the entire school, and he doesn't even know who Marguerite is. Did I tell you that she goes by Alexis? They hid her and she goes by her middle name. You'd think they could have been a little more creative."

  "They didn't need creativity. She stayed off our radar for years, almost a dozen years, and then it took us a year to find her at that. Has she begun her transformation?"

  "Not that I can tell. Growing up with humans must have really slowed the process down. That's all I can figure. She should already be fully transformed by now."

  "That's to our benefit. She'll be a lot easier to kill before she comes into her full power. If she hasn't even begun to transform, it'll be a snap."

  I nodded, tired of talking about a boring girl.

  "You need to get that boy thinking about her. You've got him addicted to our venom from what I hear. Use that to your advantage. Point him in her direction so that he goes after her when you leave."

  Holding a poker face, I tried not to react. The thought of leaving Tanner broke me inside. I hated being apart from him for this dinner, what would a permanent separation do to me? He already brought out all kinds of emotions that I didn't know I was even capable of experiencing. "Right," I said.

  "I have something that will help."

  "What?"

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a men's ring. "I had this blessed by a witch. It will cause a transforming vampire to fall in love with the human who's wearing it when she drinks his blood."

  My insides froze. "You're saying that if he wears this, Alexis will fall in love with him?"

  "When she's going through her transformation and she drinks his blood."

  I stared at the ring, feeling the growing need to throw up.

  "Don't worry, darling. The ring isn't specific to the boy. You can try to find another guy, but I have a feeling that Marguerite—Alexis—will start her transformation soon, if she hasn't already."

  "What am I supposed to tell him when I give him the ring? I can't tell him what it does and I can't guarantee that he'll wear it if I can even get him to have her drink his blood."

  "You're smart. I know you'll think up something. Tell him that it will protect him from redneck vampires."

  My eyes widened. How did he know about that?

  Vince laughed. "You can't hide as much from me as you think, my dear. Oh good. Here's our food."

  As we ate, I barely tasted the food. All I could think of was how I could find someone else to go after Alexis. The thought of Tanner with her made my skin crawl. I didn't want him with anyone else.

  CHAPTER NINE

  I sat in the high school cafeteria, rolling the ring around in my hand under the table. I watched across the room as Alexis was writing in a spiral-bound notebook, oblivious to the world around her. All the chattering students were just as unaware of her, even the ones sitting at the same table. Those two friends of hers appeared to want her to join in, but seemed to know that it would be futile to ask.

  The last thing that I wanted to do was to give the ring to Tanner. Why would I give him something that would cause Alexis to fall for him? Granted, that didn't necessarily mean that he would fall for her too. But if she ever figured out her true potential, she would be gorgeous and would prove to be serious competition. That was it. I had to find someone else to give the ring to. Anyone except him.

  When I had met Tanner, he'd been down on his luck. Maybe that was the kind of guy that I needed to go after instead of the nerds. Sure, they weren't popular but that didn't mean that they were unhappy or easy to convince about the existence of vampires. I needed to find someone depressed and hopefully desperate.

  I looked around the room for someone who matched that description and couldn't find anyone. I would have to look elsewhere because the cafeteria was too bright, too busy, and too loud for someone who wanted to be left alone.

  Stuffing the ring in my pocket, I stood up, dumped my tray of uneaten food, and headed for the halls. The kind of guy that I needed to find would be sitting in some dark corner, hoping to remain unnoticed. The first kid that I found sitting in a corner playing a game on his phone had greasy hair and skin. If there was a chance that I'd have to drink his blood, I didn't want that one.

  Walking along further, I saw several others sitting quietly by themselves, but they all made my skin crawl. There had to be more like
Tanner, who actually took the time to bathe even though they were lonely.

  Just as I was about to give up, I saw a boy sitting beside a drinking fountain reading a science book. He was clean and had potential. In my mind, I removed his glasses, cut his hair, and gave him a new shirt and a little stubble. He could be the next singing sensation. I sat down next to him and pretended to dig into my backpack.

  He looked at me, obviously trying to figure out why someone like me was sitting next to someone like him on the floor, on purpose.

  I flashed a smile. "Hi there."

  "Uh, hi."

  "What's your name? I've never seen you around?"

  "That's because I tend to blend in with the wallpaper."

  I looked around. "There's no…oh, you're being funny. Cute."

  "How come you're sitting by me?"

  "Just thought I'd say hi. I'm kinda new here."

  "I've seen you around for a few months. You hang out with Tanner. Why aren't you with him?"

  "He doesn't own me, silly."

  "So what do you want?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "Girls like you don't talk to me unless you need something."

  "Really? Girls like me?"

  "Yeah, the 'it' girls," he said, rolling his eyes.

  "I think you'll find that I don't fit into the normal types that you cast girls into."

  "What do you want?" he asked, looking irritated.

  "The—"

  "Look, there's your boyfriend. I'm outta here." He stuffed his book into his backpack and stormed off. Where had I gone wrong?

  I stood up and saw Tanner walking down the hall. His face lit up when he saw me. He walked faster and then wrapped me in a hug. "You're back. Did you manage to get that jerk off your trail?"

  "The jerk? Oh, you mean the redneck vampire. Kind of."

  "What do you mean?"

  I had to think quick. "Well, that's why I was talking to that kid. I need to give the impression that I'm not with you."

  He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

  "Well…if he thinks that we're together he might go after you. I can't have that. I need to protect you."

  The scent of fear rose from him.

  "I don't want you worried about some vampire coming after you. You're fine."

  He narrowed his eyes. "Then why would you try to set up a decoy?"

  Sighing, I said, "There is another option."

  "What?"

  "This," I said, showing him the ring. I wasn't going to find another guy to convince about vampires, so I decided that I may as well give him the ring. I loved Tanner, but it wasn't as though I was going to leave my position with Vince to be with him. Ruling the entire vampire kingdom was my most important objective and it could only be done with Vince. I couldn't let something as fickle as love get in the way of that. I'd been working on this since before Tanner's grandparents were even born.

  He held the ring, flipping it around to see all angles. "What's so special about this ring?"

  I looked to the side, not wanting to see him as I lied to him yet again. "It'll protect you from a vampire using mind control on you. If one comes to town and tries to take advantage of you, they won't be able to."

  "Seriously?" he asked, sounding excited. "How does it work?"

  "A witch placed a blessing on it," I said. At least that much was the truth.

  He put it on and it was a perfect fit. "Thanks!"

  "Don't mention it," I muttered.

  CHAPTER TEN

  I spent the next six months enjoying my time with Tanner, knowing that it was limited. I wanted to stay with him forever, but knew that wasn't a possibility. As much as I wanted to be with him, I knew that wasn't possible if I was going lead the vampire world. I kept a close eye on Alexis, waiting for her to show signs of beginning her transition into becoming a vampire. I was beginning to think that it was her dull life that was keeping it from starting.

  She would probably need something to happen to kick it into gear. Maybe being exposed to blood or someone tempting her anger. She appeared to be as even-keel as they came, but she was born a vampire and vampires have violent tempers, especially during the transition period.

  One warm, summer night as I was walking through town after a tasty evening with Tanner, I received a text. I thought it was him wishing me goodnight, but I was surprised to see that it was from Vince. I hadn't heard from him since he'd given me the ring. He wanted a progress report.

  I texted him back that I was still waiting for Alexis to begin her transformation. He told me that I didn't have much more time in Delphic Cove and that I'd better stop playing around. I told him that I'd get everything ready so that once she did begin her transition, the boy would be ready and waiting.

  That night, I didn't bother finding a hotel room to sleep in. I sat by the lake and thought about how I was going to handle whatever time I had left. I had to find a way to make Tanner aware that Alexis was turning into a vampire so that he would go to her for his venom needs once I was gone. She was nearly seventeen, so she had to be starting her transformation. Vampires never made it to seventeen before changing. She would feel all alone surrounded by humans, and when she found out that she could talk to Tanner about it, she would begin to trust him. Then Vince could make his move.

  I had to figure out how to say goodbye to Tanner. That was something that I didn't want to do. Lost in my thoughts, I was startled when someone sat next to me on the bench. I looked up to see Tanner smiling at me.

  "What are you doing here?" I asked.

  "Sometimes I like to jog around the lake. In the morning, the air is so crisp and clean. What are you doing here?"

  "I couldn't sleep, so I came here to think."

  He wrapped his arms around me. "Is everything okay?"

  "Sure," I said, forcing myself to cheer up. "Hey, have you ever noticed Alexis Ferguson?"

  His eyebrows crinkled. "No," he said, clearly deep in thought. "Wait, is she related to Natalie Ferguson?"

  "They're sisters."

  "Natalie has a sister?"

  I laughed. "Yeah, she's going to be a junior."

  Tanner shrugged his shoulders. "I thought I knew all of the girls in school," he said in a teasing tone.

  Running my hands down his bare arms, I asked, "Are you trying to make me jealous?"

  "Is it working?"

  I grabbed his chin and kissed him. "Maybe."

  He put his hands around my waist. "Good," he said, and then kissed me back.

  Running my fingers through his hair, I knew that I was going to miss him fiercely. Being with Vince was never going to be the same. Not after Tanner. With Vince, it was all about power and convenience. If someone else held the key to me becoming a ruling vampire, I would drop Vince in a heartbeat. Had there been a way I could be with Tanner and still have a shot at getting my family line back on the throne, I would take it. I had tried to imagine possibilities, but being with Tanner couldn't happen. I couldn't have my cake and eat it too. There was no way a teenage football player was going to help me achieve my goals—as much as I wished it were so.

  I could hear the sounds of kids running toward the lake and we pulled apart, looking at each other with hungry eyes. Part of me wanted to tell him that I'd be leaving soon, but I preferred to spend our last time together, however long it would be, just like this. Happy and carefree. What we had was perfect, and I wanted to hold onto that as long as I could.

  He held my hand. "What were you saying about Natalie's sister? What's her name?"

  "Alexis. It looks like she's in the process of turning into a vampire."

  His eyes widened. "How can you tell?"

  "The signs are subtle, but when you've been a vampire as long as I have, you can tell these things."

  "Like what?"

  I always hated lying to him. "I noticed her eyes turned a little red when she got angry. She's also starting to run faster."

  He looked deep in thought. "How can you tell when someone is turning into a vampi
re? Can I tell?"

  "Since you manage the track team, you should be able to tell when someone is running faster than possible. That's a telltale sign. A lot of times things around them will explode when they're angry before they can control their volatile energy. You can look for the red eyes and subtle bodily changes—always improvements. Better skin, thicker hair, stronger, and other sorts of things. Those are classic symptoms. There are other subtle signs too, but I don't think you'd be able to notice."

  Squeezing my hand, he asked, "You don't think that your ex turned her do you? Is he in town?"

  "No. He'd go straight for me. He wouldn't play around with anyone else."

  "So there are others here in town?"

  "Maybe," I said, shrugging. "I haven't seen anyone else. Remember, you're safe with that ring."

  "Safe from mind control," he said. "It won't keep them from biting me. I also can't outrun one."

  "Keeping your mind safe is half the battle. Just remember everything that I've been telling you and you'll be fine."

  He turned and looked at me. "It sounds like you think you'll be gone."

  I shook my head. "I don't ever want to leave you," I said, meaning every word. "But I can't be with you every minute. You have to watch out because you know the truth. Most people won't even consider the possibility of vampires existing."

  "They're missing out," he said. "I'm the lucky one."

  Leaning my head against his shoulder, we sat watching the waves splash for a while in silence. Then Tanner's phone buzzed and he said, "I have to drive Charlie to his baseball camp. I'm really glad that I ran into you here."

  "Me too. Are we still on for this afternoon?"

  He smiled. "Of course."

  I gave him a quick kiss and watched him walk away. I had a heavy feeling that we had just had our last time together. Tears welled up in my eyes and I tried unsuccessfully to blink them away. I didn't want to go back to Vince and I really didn't want to send him to Alexis, but I couldn't be with Tanner. It had always been about getting Alexis so that we could be one step closer to ruling over vampires everywhere.